San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-07-11
THE PHILOSOPHER
TIR LIS r 0 w.
BY DAVID LOWRY.

vile 5 presence.
"There are plenty other ways Of making
money, Nance," he said cheerily, as he
turned his face toward the bottle factory
again. The remuneration was much less.
But he was resolved to husband his strength
and his small earnings. His nrst duty was
10 his wife and child
Unfortunately the spirit OF misrulc for a
time Oyercamn the good sense of the owners
and operatives in the trade, and at the end
OF a few months, Milton Deane was again
out of employment. Once more he turned
back to the wndow-glass factory, but not as
a blower; he was content with humber
work, and very small pay.
In the meantime, he was thinking of mat.
tiers few wOr.lnen ever give thought TO.
There were many changes in the trade
every department of the trade seemed to
Milton Deame 10 be in a state of transition.
The changes in the bottle factOries-in the
factories devoted to tableware, and the lamp
chimney factories within his own recOlec-
ton, were wonderful.
Then there was a great change in the de-
mand for cOlOred glass; COlOTed glass was
used in thousands of ways now, where it
was unknown when he carried bottles to the
tiers on fork. Why could he not learn the
business of making cOlOred glass?
Behold this young fellow of twenty-three,
who had never had days SchOOlng-whOse
knowledge of arithmetic and geography had
been picked up at random. he scarcely knew
how himself more than that il was all OBJ
tanned IN haphazard, fTagmcntary way
behold him attending the auction of cheap
books, searching for works on glass making
and chemistry, borrowing and reading at
odd times when his fellows were whiting
sticks, or enjoying themselves at concert
saloons and variety theatres.
Out of his small earnings-his sickness ate
up all his savings and put him in debt-he
purchased =. spirit lamp, a couple of cruel
bles, a mortar and pestle. These were the
tools he experimental with. The material for
making plain window glasS-flint and lime
glassware all around him in prOfusiOn;
but Milton Deane was in quest of something
beyond these. His secret hope was that he
would be able one day to produce finer grades
of cOlOred glass than were made by Ameri-
can manufacturers. His own observation
taught him the trade would give him his own
price for the discovery, but lie was stimu-
lated, shortly after the dream took posses
sion of him, by Overhearing conversation
between visitor looking over Tirl'S factory
and Mr.. Tirl himself. The ready acquies-
cence of both as they suggested alternately
the needs of the trade and more especially
their views of the uses to which line cOlOred
glass would ultimately be put made a pro-
found impression upon the young glass
blower, who, by the way, was then in the
mixing room, where he now found employ
ment Milton Deane's secret hope was that
he might be able to produce finer cOlOrs than
had been made in the United States.
All cOlOrs, all shades of cOIOrs occupied
his attention until the few books he was
able to procure informed him that he was at
tempting things either deemed impossible or
impracticable. In this pursuit. he talked
with everybody who could give him infOr-
nation, or whose experience entitled their
opinion to weight, or could prove seTviceabIe
TO him. Ii was i'm this way he became the
object of curiosity. His fellOw-wOrkmen re-
garded him as yisiOnary-a man with a
hObby-therefOre fair game for their wit
They began by calling him The Hermit
and "RecIuse,' suppementng these terms
with 'Ihe Chemist and The Philosopher"
terms harmless in themselves, but when
applied to one rendered sensitive by misfor-
tune, they were CALLING to his pride He
realized that the mass of his fellows viewed
HIM as a mOping, dull, plOdding and spirit
less fellow. He never meddlGd in local
elections; he deSpised politics; never fire.
quented saloons; never had time to devote
to baseball.
A year or more had elapsed since Milton
Deane began quest that thus far was fruit
less, save in disappOintments. Dire neces-
sity compelled the young couple to give up
the comfortable rooms in which they began
housekeeping for quarters in TirPs Row.
The Ostensible reason was convenience to the
factory; the real reason was a saving of four
dollars month in rent, a sum which, multi
piled by twelve, was now regarded by the
glass-blOwer and his wife as sufficient to
clOthe them year.
Milton Deane had noted with care the
gradual but seemingly iTretTievable decline
in his fOrtune-had realized it was impOssi-
bic to live as they were living unless his for
tunes improved, when new calamity threat
ened him.
The cutters threatened a strike. There
were ugly rumOrs in the air. The owners
were angry. There was a clashing of claims
and interests that BODIED no good to either
owner or wOrkmen. If the cutters stop
ped work, Tir's furnaces would cease to
smoke; the glass-pOts would be empty and
cold; there would be 10 need for pOt-mak-
ers, no ''miX' wanted And Milton Deane
had not dollar to his name-and no credit.
All that he could show was two crucbles,
his mortar and pestle, some sand lead. lime,
a tiny piece of gold and piece of sheet cop
per. These and his spirit-lamp had eaten up
more than he could afford 10 feed them with
for months to come. Instead of putting ever
so small fraction of his little earnings into
his crucibles, he said to himself, perhaps it
would have been better for him if he had
dOzed in his bed odd hours.
II is worthy of remark that while the men
in TiTPS Row set Deane down as milk-sop,
the women praised and pitied him. His
manner toward the sex was always that OF
considerable, respectful man; trtie modest,
perhaps, but never silly; and he had on
more than one occasion given such practical
proofs of his earnesineSS in compelling
others to yield like Difference to women, that
one and all defended him when he was the
subject of the mems wit On the evening
when the housewives in Tirl's Row defend
ed him from the gibes of his fellow-wOrk-
men, he rose suddenly from his doorway and
tossed himself at full length upon bed.
His wife, noticing the action, said:
Don't heed them"
Il wouldn't if it was not on your account,
Nance. | don't care what they say in the
factory; it is unmanly, mean, COlCdrdty TO
bring these things up here"
They are not as mindful as you are, Mil
ton" said the wife; then she added, tender
ly, Don't worry; | don't care"
"But Co." her husband replied; land I'll
give one and all to understand / want no
more of their chaff outside the factory"
Than hia mnnd ehangad ERut thav ara